BEST DESTINATIONS FOR HIKERS WHO LOVE THE MOUNTAINS

We hadn’t really seen mountains before we started our travels back in 2008 and we certainly had no idea what it felt like to explore the great outdoors. It was something we’d never tried but we soon realised the beach towns didn’t give us the same amount of joy that a long hike through jungle…

Highlights from two years backpacking around the world

In January 2018 we set off for another long stint abroad. This time we wanted to visit some new countries and return to a few favourites. So here’s a roundup of what we got up to and some of our best photos from the trip. NORWAY After spending a month roadtripping around Norway and falling…

A fascinating look at ancient mummies | The Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Cairo is home to 20 million people – it’s a massive place that sprawls out, eating up chunks of dusty desert and swapping it for messy concrete slabs. We booked a hostel in downtown where there were fairly modern shops with fancy displays, although the mannequins all looked a bit fed up with slanted wigs…

Visiting the terraced pools of Pamukkale | Turkey

I’ve had my eyes set on visiting the thermal pools of Pamukkale for awhile and finally we were making it happen. A bus took us inland from the Mediterranean coast and I had the joy of sitting in front of a child who relentlessly kicked my chair. Instead of staying in Pamukkale itself we opted…

Two days exploring the ancient city of Petra | Jordan

It was a simple 4 hour minibus ride from Amman to Wadi Musa, the town built on the outskirts of Petra, but after 10 minutes there was a loud bang and something hit my foot. I was sitting above the wheel arch and the tire had just blown underneath me. The driver slowed down as…

Watching the playful Southern Right Whales in Argentina

The southern right whales swim from their feeding grounds around Antartica up towards the equator (but not too far north as their thick blubber isn’t designed for warm waters) for the mating season. The protected bays around Puerto Piramides are one of their chosen locations to give birth and during the Spring months the population…

Hiking around El Chalten, the highlight of Patagonia | Argentina

The tiny village of El Chalten sits inside Los Glaciers National Park and is framed by the dramatic spiky peaks of Fitz Roy and Co. Hiking trails branch off from the village and lead directly to some of the most impressive sights in Patagonia. But the best part is it’s free to visit, this section…

Visiting Perito Moreno Glacier | Argentina

It was time for us to cross from Chile into Argentina to see the other side of Patagonia. The border crossing was certainly the windiest we’ve ever experienced with dust storms and frantically flapping flags (bit of a tongue twister!). We eventually arrived in the town of El Calafate where we had a two kilometre…